Pakistan has asked India to bring its entire civilian nuclear programme under the safeguards laid out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Kamran Akhtar, Director General of Disarmament at Pakistan’s Foreign Office, said on Monday that Islamabad will not agree to Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) until New Delhi brings its entire nuclear programme under IAEA safeguards.
"It is incumbent on us to stand up for our own interest. We want an assurance that India's whole three stage nuclear power programme would be under safeguards," Akhtar said while speaking at a round-table discussion in Islamabad on FMCT.
“Pakistan will not agree to FMCT until it gets the assurance from India,” he added.
Akhtar further said that negotiating a treaty that only bans future production of fissile material without taking into account the existing stockpiles would freeze "the existing asymmetries".
He also alleged that India has been given "discriminatory waivers", which added to Pakistan's security concerns.
“Pakistan should not be asked to agree to something that is not in its strategic interest. The FMCT would put Pakistan at a permanent disadvantage and undermine its security interests,” he said.
